Emmerdale fans call soap ‘cruel’ as Lisa Riley returns as Mandy Dingle to tell Paddy he has a son – after he loses baby with Chas

EMMERDALE fans called the soap "cruel" on Monday night as Paddy Kirk's ex Mandy Dingle returned with his 'son' in tow - after his daughter died last year.

Chas (Lucy Pargeter) was distraught to see Paddy (Dominic Brunt) getting cosy with cocky ex Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley) outside Marlon and Jessie's wedding.

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Heartbroken Chas lunged at Mandy, who is yet to tell Paddy about her 16-year-old offspring Vinny, and though viewers enjoyed the tussle, many feared for Chas's future.

One person surmised: "So let me get this straight...Chas and Paddy lose their baby girl and now Mandy magically comes back with Paddy's biological child? How cruel can emmerdale get?"

And another said on Twitter: "Great to have @Reallisariley back although we’ve not seen her yet. I do hope though that our Mandy’s not gonna take paddy @dominicbrunt off Chaz @lucyparge because that would just be cruel #emmerdale"

One said: "I hate that Paddy has a son with Mandy......#Emmerdale"

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Chas and Paddy lost their baby daughter Grace, after she was diagnosed with bilateral renal agenesis.

Actress Lisa, 42, was last seen on screen 18 years ago and landed in a taxi with teenage son Vinny in tow on Friday.

Lisa's return was revealed in November and she previously said: “I could not be happier to be returning in the new year to Emmerdale.

“It's something I never thought would happen after 17 years and I am so interested to see what trouble Mandy is capable of causing. But mostly being back with all my old friends, it's like I've never been away.”

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However, earlier today she hinted Paddy may not be the father of Mandy's son. She enthused: "She's come back and she's not alone, she's a mummy. "

Hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield then did the math, explaining: "He's 16. You've been away for 17 years," before adding that Paddy was her character's last relationship in the Dales.

Lisa then teased: "But it might not be..."

The star also remained tight-lipped on whether her return would be a permanent one.